This post is in response to the Holiday Episode Challenge. It will have a few spoilers for the Holiday Episode, but mostly it's what I wanted to see happen, than what actually happened.

I own none of the Characters or the Town of Eureka, but I hope I get the announcement of Season 4.5 for Christmas!

The Holiday Exchange

Chapter 1

"A Secret Santa Exchange- are you kidding me?"

Jo Lupo stood in the center of the General Dynamics Rotunda and stared down her friend/boss Douglas Fargo. Jo was giving her 'Back off cause I'm pissed off' face, and Fargo noted belatedly that other people walking through the Rotunda had noticed and had quickly decided that they needed to be else where. Jo Lupo in a bad mood was a bad thing to behold. Attempting to hide the fact that even he was afraid of her, Fargo drew himself up to his full height and tried to project a boss like attitude.

"It's the Holiday season Jo, come on." he said hoping that it didn't sound like he was whining. "It's time to get into the Spirit of Christmas!"

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "A Holiday Party, Office decorating, Christmas Carolers, and now a Secret Santa Exchange? Now in addition to the extra security checks we have because of the holiday costumes, we've had two incidences already of people playing pranks on other labs by wrapping their equipment in wrapping paper, I've got another scientist who keeps trying to get me to raise his security clearance on his lab space so that he can change the formula for his ice growing experiment because he wants to be able to ice skate in his office for the holiday party, and I'm trying to get through all of the extra requests that have come in with people looking to travel outside of Eureka for the holidays. Do you not understand how difficult my life gets around the holidays?" She sighed as she moved to avoid a man with an armful of holiday decorations. "I swear," she began frostily as she took notice of the Christmas tree's that were being raised in the Rotunda, "it's the season where all of you geeks fly your freak flags."

"No," Fargo insisted as he turned to face her, "that's Comic-Con"

At her withering look, he tried to get her to smile. "Come on Jo, it's almost Christmas! Mansfield is on his annual two week vacation out in the Montana wilderness where there is no cell service, and we have no major deadlines to meet this week. We could all use a little bit of time off to celebrate. What could go wrong?"

At his pronouncement Jo's phone began to beep, and still glaring at Fargo, Jo answered. "Lupo. What? Hang on we'll be right there." With a frosty look back at Fargo she called out over her shoulder, "You just had to say it didn't you."

She ran into a small room just off the Rotunda with Fargo fast on her heels. The room was a security outpost dedicated to maintaining the perimeter around Eureka and keeping them isolated from the outside world.

"What do we have," Jo asked as she entered the room.

"Ma'am- We've got a U.F.O that just entered Eureka's no fly zone. Its heading right for the EM shield and moving at a very erratic pace," the desk officer reported. "It keeps dropping off of radar."

"What is it?" she asked as she scanned the radar.

"We've got conflicting reports ma'am. The drones can't operate outside of the shield and we're getting some interference. It keeps sending back readings that claim it's both mechanical and biological in nature."

"Biologic…you mean it's a manned aircraft," she clarified.

"The reports are inconclusive, ma'am."

"Do we have to scramble the jets," Fargo asked worriedly. "Mansfield's going to end his vacation if we do that….."

"What is its current course?"

"Bearing Alpha Niner Charlie Ma'am. It's on a direct course to the main part of town. ETA 20 minutes. It will breach our EM shield in 10."

Jo nodded and reached for her phone. "Call Carter," she directed at Fargo. "Have him meet me and my team in Main Street. Tell him to clear the streets- get everyone indoors," she said over her shoulder as she ran out the door, already on her phone. "Hale, we've got a Code Black, repeat Code Black. Departure in 6 minutes - lets go!"

"What the hell is it," Fargo muttered as he stared at the screen that tracked the steady progress of the incoming U.F.O.

Jo's team raced towards town as she donned her tactical suit and body armor in the passenger seat all the while barking orders to her team on her radio. "I want a man positioned on top of Café Diem, and another on the roof of the drycleaners- Manny that's you and Roberts. Rodriguez, you and your team are going to take the North side of Archimedes, and Hale, you and your team are going to position yourself on the West side of Main Street while my team takes the East side so that we can box it in if necessary. I want eyes on this thing. No one takes a shot until I give the word, but be ready to force this thing down. Look for the disabling shot- does everyone copy?"

Receiving her team's affirmative she donned her helmet and began scanning the sky for signs of the U.F.O as they pulled up on Main Street.

The black SUV's pulled up and she could see Carter and Andy herding the last of the milling populace off of the streets and into safety.

"I want eyes on the target," she called into her radio as she and her team disembarked from the van and began running up the street to take their places. Using her rifle scope as binoculars Jo searched for the object.

"Fargo," she said into her ear piece, "I need a 20 on this U.F.O."

"It's about 1500 meters from your position and closing fast."

Carter jogged towards Jo and her team. "So what is this thing," he shouted as he got closer and began scanning the sky.

"750 yards and closing."

The drones said its some sort of aircraft.

"500 yards."

Jo canted her head down trying to listen better. She could have sworn that she heard the sound of bells.

Carter, hearing it too, turned around scanning the street for the sound of the noise. Not seeing anything, he cautiously returned his gaze back up at the sky.

"You should have a visual by now; 200 yards."

Jo caught sight of the UFO through her scope and lowered it in shock, unable to process what she was seeing. She heard her earpiece cut through and Manny and Rodriguez both had a shot and were requesting the green light.

"Jo…" Carter said suddenly as he too caught sight of the object heading straight for them and backed away a little cautiously. He blinked again but the vision remained. It appeared to be a sled being pulled by flying reindeer.

"Jo, do you copy? What is it?"

The sled seemed to dip and turn quickly losing altitude on its erratic course. Jo and her team ducked as Carter yelled, "It's not a plane!"

Jo quickly refocused her rifle on the retreating target. As she looked through her scope she spotted a thin man wearing what appeared to be a Santa Claus Suit. The flying object continued its decent landing in a grove of trees just past the end of Main Street. "Everyone hold your fire," Jo said into her earpiece. "Repeat, hold your fire."

"Was that…..?" Carter asked pointing up at the sky and looking rather confused.

"Don't even think it," Jo muttered to him. She turned to her team, "Manny, I want you and Rodriguez to hold your positions, and Hale, you and your team stay where you are. East and North teams, you're with me. We're going to converge on where this thing landed. Keep it in your sight, but do not fire."

"What, you think Santa Claus is going to be packing heat," Carter asked her with a grin as they moved at a brisk pace towards the end of Main Street.

"Even Santa Claus shouldn't be able to find us under the EM shield, and I'm pretty sure that reindeer don't fly, so how about we go over there and see who's messing with my day." Jo snarled at Carter as she picked up the pace.

Carter shook his head and followed Lupo and her team as they quickly jogged in the direction that the sled had traveled.

They made quick time down the street and arrived at the same time that Jo's north team. Jo made a motion with her hands and half of her team fanned out to the left and right providing a half moon coverage around what they could now plainly see was a sleigh with eight large antlered reindeer standing hitched to the front of it.

Jo and Carter approached slowly, Jo's aim trained on the back of the man in the Santa suit in case he moved.

"Uh, excuse me," Carter said to the figure who was rummaging through the back of the sled, "This is a no sleigh parking zone."

The man froze and then quickly spun around, a wide grin on his face as he spotted Carter and Jo.

"Merry Christmas Mates!" he said with glee as he held his arms open wide in greeting.

Jo scowled, and lowered her rifle as she glared at Taggert. Carter just smiled and shook his head at his old friend.

"Stand down," Jo said into her microphone. "It's just another crazy scientist." Her team began slowly disbanding and returning to their vehicles. She turned back to taggert. "Tag, what are you doing here? We almost blasted you out of the sky."

"Yeah, see, I would have led with, how were you flying in the first place?" Carter said as he grinned at Taggert. "Did you steal Santa's sleigh," he asked while gesturing at the nearby Reindeer.

Taggert laughed, and walked over to the nearest one and flipped open a panel on the back hindquarters. "They're bio-mechanical reindeer. I've adapted them to work with I've been using them out on the tundra in my research."

"Research," Jo asked wearily. "Do I really want to know?"

"I was hunting for the most mythical creature of all, trying to prove his existence."

"Yeti?" Carter asked.

"Naw, I found that little tyke years ago. No, this creature is really elusive. I've been tracking him for several weeks, but could never get quite close enough for definable proof. It's like he knew that I was there. Like he could see when I was sleeping and when I was awake."

Carter opened his mouth, then swiftly closed it and shook his head. "Nope, not going to ask that one," he said looking at Jo.

"I'm pioneering the study of Clausology," Taggert said with glee as he rubbed his hands together. I'm going to be the first to prove the existence of Santa Claus!"

At Jo and Carter's blank stares he continued. "Almost every culture in the world has some sort of story about him, and many of the stories have the same basic thread of evidence. I've been studying him for almost a year now. I've had several confirmed sightings, but he's always managed to elude me," Taggert said as his face grew fierce, "but one day soon, he and I are going to meet face to face, and then they'll be a reckoning!"

"Well that's great Taggert," Carter said slowly, "but what exactly are you doing here," he asked a little confused.

"Oh," Taggert said with a careless shrug. "Fargo emailed me about the party about a week ago. I've been unable to find any more tracks to follow so I decided to take a respite back in Eureka for the holidays and come to the party."

"Great," Jo said as she slung her rifle strap over her shoulder, "the more the merrier," she said sarcastically as she turned to walk back towards Main Street and her car.

Taggert looked at Carter confused. "She doesn't seem to have much in the way of the Holiday Spirit."

Carter grimaced, and then nodded. "Yeah, no. How about I give you a lift back to GD," he said gesturing towards Main Street.

"That'd be grand," Taggert said as he slapped Carter on the back. "I need to get my Santa Lab up and running so that I can work on some projections for Christmas Eve's Santa flight." he said rubbing his hands together as they walked towards the jeep.

Ok, Chapter 1, and already just a few changes. I needed more Zane and Jo moments, so I've changed a few things, and I won't be repeating the Spoiler Alert-shrinking problem.

More to follow soon.